You have Louisville and head coach Rick Pitino. You have Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo. You have Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski. And then you have Oregon and head coach Dana Altman.

Altman is in unbelievable company and essentially the odd man out in this discussion of Hall of Fame coaches. That’s no fault to Altman, it’s just the way that the bracket has worked out to this point. With that being said, we know that the No. 1 seeded Cardinals are the favorite in their Sweet 16 test with Oregon, but that doesn’t mean that the Ducks can’t pull out the victory. Considering some of the madness that we have seen this March, that’s certainly an option.

Altman has had a very successful coaching career, totaling 483 wins in his career. In fact, since taking over the Ducks’ program prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season, Oregon has notched three consecutive 20 win seasons and Altman has racked up an impressive 73-36 mark. This is the first time however, that the Ducks have qualified for the NCAA Tournament under his guidance.

All that is good and good, but it doesn’t even compare to the elite company that Altman is apart of within the Midwest Region.

In fact, this Sweet 16 appearance with the Ducks marks Altman’s first ever trip to the second weekend of the Big Dance. As for Izzo, Pitino and Coach K — well, the three combine for a total of 43 Sweet 16 appearances.